The Ancestor at His Peak!

Zhang Tianzheng felt his whole body shudder. Then a tingling, prickling ache rose from deep within his bones.

"Ugh!"

He let out a muffled groan, and his aura erupted in an instant.

The Spiritual Power he had deliberately suppressed to conserve his remaining years surged beneath the stimulus of an immense vitality.

It shot skyward like an erupting volcano.

The restrictions inside the Cave Mansion were triggered at once, letting out a shrill hum.

The Light Screen flickered violently, on the verge of bursting.

Zhang Chen had been prepared. He hurried to the corner of the Cave Mansion and activated his defensive barrier, his gaze fixed on the Ancestor at the heart of the storm.

Zhang Tianzheng's skin, once as dry as tree bark, visibly grew rosy. The wrinkles carved across his face, like deep ravines, seemed to be gently smoothed away by an invisible hand.

Most astonishing of all was his hair.

His once sparse, brittle head of white hair began growing wildly.

Starting at the roots, it rapidly turned black.

In the blink of an eye, a thick mane of glossy black hair spilled over his shoulders.

Crack, crack—

A burst of bone-popping sounds rang out.

Zhang Tianzheng's hunched body, bent by age, straightened once more.

His muscles swelled and his bones reshaped. The dense aura of death was forced out of his body by the tremendous vitality surging within him, dispersing into wisps of black smoke.

But that wasn't the end.

The Longevity Pill's medicinal power was simply too immense. After repairing his body, the remaining power began to batter the cultivation bottleneck that had stalled him for over a hundred years.

Zhang Tianzheng had suffered a hidden injury in his early years, leaving his Nascent Soul incomplete. He had thought he would never advance beyond the Nascent Soul Early Stage.

But now, nourished by that vast vitality, his somewhat weakened Nascent Soul seemed to come alive again.

It grew crystal clear.

The bottleneck, once as unyielding as solid rock, actually began to budge under the force washing over it!

"Break!"

In a flash of inspiration, Zhang Tianzheng let out a long roar.

Boom!

A powerful aura swept across the entire place.

Though he hadn't broken through to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, one foot had already crossed the threshold!

He had reached the peak of the Nascent Soul Early Stage—and the peak of his prime!

The light slowly faded.

The Cave Mansion returned to calm.

The old man who had been at death's door was gone.

In his place stood a middle-aged man who looked to be around forty.

He had a resolute face, sharp brows and bright eyes, and ink-black hair hanging loosely down his back.

The muscles across his upper body were sharply defined, brimming with strength.

Had it not been for the vicissitudes of time still visible in his eyes,

who would have believed this was the Zhang Family Old Ancestor, a man several centuries old?

Zhang Tianzheng slowly lowered his head and looked at his hands, once more strong and fair. Then he felt the surging vitality within him, vast as the sea.

Almost unable to believe it, he casually waved a hand, and a mirror of water appeared in the air.

Looking at the young face in the mirror, both familiar and strange, this unyielding man—who had never furrowed his brow even when besieged by the Demonic Path—now wept tears of age.

"I... I'm back."

He tremulously touched his cheek. The solid sensation told him this wasn't a dream.

He had truly returned to his peak!

What's more, he could clearly feel that the flame of his life was burning fiercely.

He had gained a full two hundred years of life!

Two hundred years!

As long as he remained at the Nascent Soul Early Stage peak, as long as he stood guard over the Zhang Family, even if the Demonic Path invaded in force, he'd still dare to knock a few teeth out of their mouths!

And with those two hundred years as a cushion, he was fully confident he could use the remaining power of the pill to attempt a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage within ten years!

Once he became a Great Cultivator of the middle stage, who in the East Mountain Islands of the Southern Domain would dare look down on the Zhang Family?

"Congratulations, Ancestor, on your rebirth and renewed ascent on the Great Dao!"

In the corner, Zhang Chen lowered his defensive barrier and cupped his hands with a smile.

Zhang Tianzheng turned to look at the young man before him.

His gaze had completely changed. He no longer saw Zhang Chen merely as a junior, but as the future hope of the Zhang Family—or even as a benefactor equal to himself.

He took one step and appeared before Zhang Chen in an instant.

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhang Tianzheng brought his large hand down hard on Zhang Chen's shoulder.

"Chen'er."

Zhang Tianzheng's voice trembled, but his words were firm. "You didn't just save your Great-Grandfather's life—you saved the life of the entire Zhang Family!"

"The Wang Family? Hmph!"

A murderous glint flashed through Zhang Tianzheng's eyes, and a cruel smile befitting a powerhouse curled his lips. "Does that little brat Wang Lie think he's all that now? Has he been testing whether this old man is dead?"

"Tomorrow... no, right now!"

"This old man will show him exactly what they mean when they say the old ginger is spicier!"

Feeling the strength in his shoulder and seeing the Ancestor's spirited, murderous bearing, Zhang Chen finally felt the weight lift completely from his heart.

We're safe.

The Zhang Family's tiger skin had finally grown tough again.

"Ancestor, hold on." Zhang Chen smiled and stopped the Ancestor, who was about to charge out and pick a fight. "Going now would certainly catch them off guard, but that would let them off far too easily."